Student Reading Proficiency,
1971–2004

These test scores are from the National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP). The NAEP scores have been evaluated at certain
performance levels. A score of 300 implies an ability to find, understand,
summarize, and explain relatively complicated literary and informational
material. A score of 250 implies an ability to search for specific
information, interrelate ideas, and make generalizations about literature,
science and social studies materials. A score of 200 implies an ability to
understand, combine ideas, and make inferences based on short,
uncomplicated passages about specific or sequentially related information.
A score of 150 implies an ability to follow brief written directions and
carry out simple, discrete reading tasks. Scale ranges from 0–500.
Standard errors appear in parentheses.

Characteristics of
students

1971

1975

1980

1984

1988

1992

1996

1999

2004

Total 9-year-olds1

208 (1.0)

210 (0.7)

215 (1.0)

211 (0.7)

212 (1.1)

211 (0.9)

212 (1.0)

212 (1.3)

219 (1.1)

Male

201 (1.1)

204 (0.8)

210 (1.1)

207 (0.8)

207 (1.4)

206 (1.3)

207 (1.4)

209 (1.6)

216 (1.4)

Female

214 (1.0)

216 (0.8)

220 (1.1)

214 (0.8)

216 (1.3)

215 (0.9)

218 (1.1)

215 (1.5)

221 (1.0)

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic

214 (0.9)

217 (0.7)

221 (0.8)

218 (0.8)

218 (1.4)

218 (1.0)

220 (1.2)

221 (1.6)

226 (1.1)

Black, non-Hispanic

170 (1.7)

181 (1.2)

189 (1.8)

186 (1.1)

189 (2.4)

185 (2.2)

191 (2.6)

186 (2.3)

200 (2.2)

Hispanic

(2)

183 (2.2)

190 (2.3)

187 (2.1)

194 (3.5)

192 (3.1)

195 (3.4)

193 (2.7)

205 (1.7)

Other

193 (3.8)

208 (4.1)

218 (3.8)

224 (2.5)

228 (5.4)

208 (4.0)

214 (4.2)

215 (4.0)

Total 13-year-olds1

255 (0.9)

256 (0.8)

258 (0.9)

257 (0.5)

257 (1.0)

260 (1.2)

258 (1.0)

259 (1.0)

259 (1.0)

Male

250 (1.0)

250 (0.8)

254 (1.1)

253 (0.6)

252 (1.3)

254 (1.7)

251 (1.2)

254 (1.3)

254 (1.2)

Female

261 (0.9)

262 (0.9)

263 (0.9)

262 (0.6)

263 (1.0)

265 (1.2)

264 (1.2)

265 (1.2)

264 (1.3)

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic

261 (0.7)

262 (0.7)

264 (0.7)

263 (0.6)

261 (1.1)

266 (1.2)

266 (1.0)

267 (1.2)

266 (1.0)

Black, non-Hispanic

222 (1.2)

226 (1.2)

233 (1.5)

236 (1.0)

243 (2.4)

238 (2.3)

234 (2.6)

238 (2.4)

244 (2.0)

Hispanic

(2)

232 (3.0)

237 (2.0)

240 (1.7)

240 (3.5)

239 (2.5)

238 (2.9)

244 (2.9)

242 (1.6)

Other

251 (3.0)

256 (3.4)

254 (6.4)

260 (2.8)

269 (4.2)

268 (3.4)

253 (3.7)

258 (5.0)

Total 17-year-olds1

285 (1.2)

286 (0.8)

285 (1.2)

289 (0.6)

290 (1.0)

290 (1.1)

288 (1.1)

288 (1.3)

285 (1.2)

Male

279 (1.2)

280 (1.0)

282 (1.3)

284 (0.6)

286 (1.5)

284 (1.6)

281 (1.3)

281 (1.6)

278 (1.5)

Female

291 (1.3)

291 (1.0)

289 (1.2)

294 (0.8)

294 (1.5)

296 (1.1)

295 (1.2)

295 (1.4)

292 (1.3)

Race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic

291 (1.0)

293 (0.6)

293 (0.9)

295 (0.7)

295 (1.2)

297 (1.4)

295 (1.2)

295 (1.4)

293 (1.1)

Black, non-Hispanic

239 (1.7)

241 (2.0)

243 (1.8)

264 (1.0)

274 (2.4)

261 (2.1)

266 (2.7)

264 (1.7)

264 (2.7)

Hispanic

(2)

252 (3.6)

261 (2.7)

268 (2.2)

271 (4.3)

271 (3.7)

265 (4.1)

271 (3.9)

264 (2.9)

Other

276 (4.8)

274 (4.4)

280 (3.0)

285 (3.1)

290 (5.3)

287 (5.8)

281 (6.0)

290 (5.0)

1. Excludes persons not enrolled in
school.

2. Test scores of Hispanics were not
tabulated separately.

Source: U.S. Department of Education,
National Center for Education Statistics (2006), National Assessment of
Educational Progress, NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress, by
Educational Testing Service.